How Matcha Tea Makes for a Better Day (and Night!)

How Matcha Tea Makes for a Better Day (and Night!)

When it comes to our kids, we know that a bedtime routine is a must. While it may seem tedious at first, having a night time schedule really gives them the space to wind down, get ready, and (hopefully) get to sleep quickly.

So here’s my question…

WHY DON’T MORE OF US HAVE ONE FOR OURSELVES??

Night Time Routines for Parents

It can be hard to slow down at the end of a long day, yeah? And I don’t mean a fiery crash-n-burn come 9pm when the kids have finally all gone to bed. I mean, it’s dinner time, it’s family time, and instead of enjoying the moment you’re thinking about the lunches you have to make, the food that still needs to be put away, the laundry that’s been sitting in the dryer for four days…sound familiar?

So when it comes to finding that space to just take a breath, I truly believe it starts with making smarter choices during the day.

Enter —

Matcha Tea

When Tenzo Tea approached me about working together, I had heard of the company before, mostly through internet buzz and word-of-mouth, but I don’t often do reviews like this on my site without first knowing I love ’em enough to share with you, my wonderful readers.

So Tenzo sent me one of their matcha kits and omgoodness, ya’ll, I was THRILLED.

tenzo tea

How Matcha Tea Makes for a Better Day (and Night!)

The kit had a pouch of 30 grams of premium organic green tea powder, a bamboo whisk, a porcelain holder for said whisk, and a bamboo scoop. Also included was THE BEST water bottle I’ve ever had! Heh have I mentioned that yet?

Ok, well to be honest, it’s actually a shaker bottle with a little spherical wire whisk inside to make matcha on the go, but it’s really, really wonderful in general.

As for the matcha, I was floored at the taste difference between the Tenzo powder and the brand I had been drinking for the last few months. The color is so vibrant and the smell immediately brings about thoughts of spring – I can’t help but go to my happy place while I make it…even if said happy place is only a 30-second visit before my 3 year old starts trying to color on the walls.

The taste is what really got me, though – it’s light and grassy, as I would expect, but you can taste the life in it. I’ve been drinking it daily since I received the box and it’s slowly edging out my morning coffee for role of “caffeine delivery system of choice” in my life. No more peak and then crash! Or worse, peak-peak-peak-CRASH at 9pm but too wound to actually sleep. Ick.

I also really enjoyed using the bamboo whisk and scoop. I know it might seem silly but it adds to the entirety of the ritual, elevating it to really immerse me in the moments of creation and enjoyment of my matcha, and while I can experience that with a regular whisk, it’s somehow both more authentic and pleasurable to do it with the little bamboo fella they sent.

What does matcha have to do with a night time routine?

Going back to the original point of this post (finding peace at night!) I’ve truly found that by swapping out my usual coffee intake for matcha, it’s so much easy to remain steady and more focused during the day, so again come evening, I’m not swamped and thinking of the 1,000 things still on my to-do list. And as I mention above, with matcha there’s no peak and then crash. It’s all natural and a great way to find that energy you need to run an efficient household without losing your mind.

Along those lines, by eliminating that chaos at night – or at least cutting back on it – you can then enjoy another cup of tea (perhaps a sweet hot cup of Tulsi tea, my personal favorite!) and actually take that breath you so desperately need.

I know, I know, almost sounds like a fantasy, right? To have the energy to relax at night? Whaaa?

But if you find ways to focus more during the day and ban multitasking, you’ll certainly find yourself accomplishing more and you’ll have that moment at night to just let it all go.

My night time routine typically involves some work – though luckily I love my job – but then I usually grab a cup of tea, pick up my gratitude journal, and simply give myself ten minutes to just reflect and give thanks for another day…even if it was a rough one.

While I will always advocate for the consumption of matcha in general, just because personally it tastes great and makes me feel amazing throughout the day, I would specifically give my seal of approval to Tenzo. The value for the price is pretty terrific, particularly considering the quality of the matcha powder; the accessories just add to the fun.

I do plan on getting more, in the end. In addition, I think that some people in my life will be getting these bundles as gifts. I really enjoyed everything about the box they sent, and I have been talking about this shaker bottle to my husband for days!

tenzo tea water bottle

Isn’t it beautiful?

Do you have a night time routine for your kids?

What about for yourself – how do you usually spend your evenings?

I’d love to know in the comments below!

Disney Movie Club Review – Good Deal or Costly Mistake?

Disney Movie Club Review – Good Deal or Costly Mistake?

While I considered writing some music to go along with this Disney Movie Club review, I felt that it was needlessly sadistic to subject you to my singing. Besides, if you’re reading a review of ANYTHING Disney, you likely already get more cutesy music in your life than you can handle.

Disney Movie Club Review

I want to preface this post with a disclaimer: I LOVE Disney movies. Moana is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I own most of their catalog on VHS and DVD/Blu-Ray. How’s that for aging myself? haha

Now that I have children, my love for Disney is even greater, as it works as a great babysitter when I need to get something done or when I need a nap.

(Totally joking, my kids won’t stay quiet for ANYTHING long enough to let me nap!)

That said, I have nothing exceptionally gracious to say about the Disney Movie Club. So if you’re ready, grab your fish hook and strap on your clam-shell bikini, because we’re diving deep into the world of Disney Movie Club.

What is Disney Movie Club?

Disney Movie Club (DMC for short from this point forward) is a subscription service. You sign up, usually get 4 movies for $1, lock yourself into a 2-year contract for another 6 movies at $19.95/each (plus shipping + processing), and then you can “cancel anytime” after that.

If you were a teenager in the 90s, you might remember the Columbia House CD subscription service, where you got a bunch of sweet albums for free, but then had to buy another 10 or something, at triple-retail markup. Those were great until your mother came in, wondering why she owed $32.99 for a copy of a Bjork CD that your crush told you was awesome but it fully wasn’t.

Anyway, sans Bjork, the DMC is the same kind of deal. You get a handful of movies for “free” up-front, and then have to buy another specific amount. It’s not awful if you love Disney and have holes in your movie collection.

Just kidding; even in the above scenario, it’s pretty bad, and here’s why!

Disney Movie Club Requirements

Each month you get a mailer with the “Featured Title” for the following month. This isn’t totally unexpected – it’s part of the whole deal. My problem with it is based on several key points:

1. You have to respond within about 2 weeks of getting the mailer, indicating whether you want the item or not. If you don’t, you’re locked into buying whatever it is that month. This is why we now have several copies of Planes on at least 3 mediums (it’s not even a good movie!!)

2. These selections, if you didn’t catch it from the above bullet, are sometimes lesser-known movies, or ones that likely didn’t get the exposure or success of mainstream titles. We have Beauty and the Beast Do Christmas or whatever it’s called because of this, featuring super phone-in animation and voice acting from a group of people who I imagine run the copy office at Disney as their primary gig.

3. Even after your two-year commitment ends, you still have to either remember to cancel completely or respond to their mailers every. single. month. Otherwise (you guessed it!) you’ll be charged for that month’s movie, regardless of having already met your purchase requirement.

The only time we were even pleasantly surprised was when we got Doctor Strange in the mail. Confused for sure, but still pleasantly surprised. You can fulfill your obligation by selecting any four movies you want, but the monthly selection is still a thing, and if you forget, well that’s how you end up with Aladdin 4: Aladdin Does His Taxes.

Movie Club Disney

is disney movie club worth it

Disney Movie Club Prices

I may have exaggerated the price of a random Bjork CD from the 90s, but the movies you get in this subscription typically cost you around $35 once shipping/processing is factored in.

I don’t care if the location of Atlantis is etched into it, $35 is a LOT of money to spend on a movie when you can usually grab them from Amazon for less than $20. Consider that you need to buy another 5 movies to fulfill your contractual obligation, you’re looking at a conservative estimate of $175.

Divided out over 9 movies, this is about $19/movie, which isn’t all that bad, but after your 4 free movies, are there really another 5 movies you would personally go out and buy unless you had a contractual gun to your head? If I gave you $175 right now, would your first instinct be to go scoop up a handful of random Disney movies?

Disney Movies Club Digital Copies

A lot of movies you get now come with a DVD, Blu-ray, and a “digital copy”. Digital copy implies ownership – that I can download this to my kids’ tablets and they’ll be quiet while we drive to grandma’s house.

That’s not how this works, at least with Disney movies. The digital copies go into an account online, like your own personal Disney vault, where you can stream them. So if you don’t have persistent data or internet access, you can’t watch *your* club Disney movies.

This is frustrating itself, but couple it with the fact that streaming from their site was pretty poor on our home Wi-Fi and it’s just downright infuriating.

Disney Movie Club – Scam or Good Deal?

As I said above, I truly love Disney and their movies. My daughter adores Minnie Mouse and my son is convinced he’s Simba. Do I think the Disney Club Movie is a smart thing to enroll in? No, not really, not even if you’re a diehard fan.

In an age where you can stream nearly anything you want all the time, the concept of a hard copy of media is less relevant than ever before (and it’ll almost certainly become less so in the next two years, which is how long you’d have to buy those five movies!)

The added bonus of getting a digital copy to save to multiple devices is tempting, but it’s smoke and mirrors. In addition, paying a $10 markup or more to get 3 copies of a movie is absurd, considering most people have either DVD or Blu-ray, or at least prefer one to the other.

Coupled with the price of the average selection and the automated, rapid-fire of unwanted movies each month, I think I can safely suggest you stay away from the Disney Movie Club. There are cheaper, easier, and simply better ways to get your Disney fix.

Have you tried out Disney Movie Club? Let me know about your experience below!